The Workforce Analysis and Planning Program (WAPP) supports industry and labour market partners in the development of market intelligence, domestic workforce strategies and implementation plans to better respond to the growing labour challenges in BC’s agriculture and food industry.
The WAPP is a three-year, up to $400,000 program under the Agriculture and Food Workforce Development Initiative (AWDI). AWDI is funded by the Ministry of Social Development and Poverty Reduction through the Canada-British Columbia Labour Market Agreement. The initiative is a $15M fund designed to support BC’s agriculture industry to provide a stable and increasing food supply through targeted efforts to recruit and retain a sufficient workforce to meet the labour needs of the industry. AWDI is delivered by the Investment Agriculture Foundation of BC (IAF).
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Overview
The Program provides up to $100,000 in cost-shared funding to identify, develop, and support projects that enhance domestic agriculture and food workforce development and labour market strategies in BC. Eligible projects must have a domestic labour/workforce focus and cross-industry or broad-sector benefit with multiple ultimate beneficiaries.
Program Goal
WAPP aims to provide industry with financial support to develop and implement domestic labour market development strategies and workforce plans to better respond to the growing labour challenges in BC’s agriculture, seafood, and food processing sectors.
Program Objectives
- Improved understanding of current agriculture labour market issues.
- Improved understanding of issues and barriers that face the domestic agriculture labour market.
- Promote the creation of strategic industry partnerships necessary to address labour market issues
- Development of targeted strategies and implementation plans with clearly defined outcomes/metrics to address and assess labour market issues.
Eligibility Criteria
Applications
Application Process
Applicants will apply through the IAF Client Portal. Please create an account and register your organization (i.e. farm/ranch). Once the IAF Team have validated your information you will be able to apply to the fund. Do not wait to start this process – it can take up to two business days to validate your organization.
The application process and required documents may vary within each funding stream. The application process will generally consist of:
IAF staff are available to answer questions regarding eligible activities, costs and/or the application process. Applicants can contact wapp@iafbc.ca with any questions about the program or to receive support in developing their application.
Applicants are encouraged to include only activities they are confident will be completed on time and within budget limits.
Review and Adjudication
IAF will review all EOIs for organization and project eligibility on an on-going basis leading up to the August 8, 2023, EOI deadline. Applications will be notified about the status of their EOI 30 days of submission.
Only eligible applicants / projects will be invited to complete a full application.
IAF will accept and review full applications on a continuous basis against the program’s prioritization criteria. Funding will be awarded based on eligibility and alignment with program priorities, on a first-come-first-serve basis, subject to available funds.
All final funding decisions will be communicated to applicants via email within 30 days. All adjudication decisions are final.
EOIs and applications may be assessed by a technical review / advisory committee and/or the Ministry of Agriculture and Food (AF) as required.
Notifications & Obligations
Funding Notifications & Contracts
If the project is approved, IAF will inform the applicant of the details of the decision and any associated terms and conditions. The applicant then enters into an agreement with IAF which outlines the obligations of each party.
Funding is application and project-specific and must be used for the approved project and related expenses. Funds are non-transferable. GST is not an eligible expense.
Project activities requiring financial resources cannot commence until the contribution agreement has been signed by both the applicant and IAF. All project activities and expenditures must be approved prior to commencing – retroactive costs will not be considered.
Notice of an ‘Invitation to Apply’ or funding decision will be issued within 30 days after the submission date. Projects may begin on or after a notice of approved project funding. All projects must be completed within 24 months of starting and all projects approved through the program must complete by February 28, 2026. If the project is not approved, the applicant will receive a written response from IAF.
Changes to Contracted Projects
If you are not able to complete your project according to the approved workplan, please inform the IAF Team as soon as possible using the IAF Client Portal.
Funding Acknowledgement
This program is funded by the Government of BC, therefore; acknowledgment of funding is required when publicly communicating about a project and/or funding. To ensure appropriate acknowledgments, all communications and marketing materials, including public announcements or social media posts, must be pre-approved by the IAF Communications Team. Materials can be submitted via the IAF Client Portal.
Reporting Requirements
Successful applicants must complete one or more activity and financial reports to receive payment from the program. This report must be filled out and submitted to IAF to be considered for funding reimbursement. It is important that reports are submitted on time and with all the required information. Please retain all invoices and receipts, you may be asked to submit some or all receipts/invoices following a review of your report by the IAF Team. Expenses will be reimbursed based on the approved project budget and/or audited receipts. All reporting will be completed via the IAF Client Portal.
Prioritization Criteria
Coming soon.
Ready to Apply?
Resources

This program is funded by the Government of Canada and the Province of British Columbia.